Animal styles..Form or technique?

AceHBK

Master Black Belt
I have noticed that some animal styles are actual techniques.
Are all of them like that or just some while the others are just forms?
I see praying mantis is a style but are all like that such as snake, and others?
 
I would say yes, but that doesn't mean that everyone who uses the term is practicing or teaching a complete system. Most are now combined with other systems sort of like chin na has been.

7sm
 
yeah, like there are some systems that have a "crane" form as part of their overall system, but they are not teaching any of the complete White Crane systems. Their form may not even be from one of the complete systems, but rather something of their own.
 
Xingyi has 12 animals that constitute a Xingyi form, but it also has non-animal forms as well.
 
Interesting.
I had always wanted to learn snake for some odd reason but someone told me that it was just a form and had some practical uses but not a system in itself. Is that true?
 
AceHBK said:
Interesting.
I had always wanted to learn snake for some odd reason but someone told me that it was just a form and had some practical uses but not a system in itself. Is that true?

I have never heard of snake form kung fu, but that does not mean it isn't out there somewhere. There is a snake form in Xingyi, but I would imagine that other styles have a snake form in them as well.

Xingyi 12 Animals, I have also seen different names used.
Tiger Form (Hu Xing)
Monkey Form (Hou Xing)
Horse Form (Ma Xing)
Water Lizard Form (Tuo Xing)
Chicken Form (Ji Xing)
Hawk Form (Yao Xing)
Swallow Form (Yan Xing)
Snake Form (She Xing)
Tai Bird Form (Tai Xing)
Eagle Form (Ying Xing)
Bear Form (Xiong Xing)

 
I train a 5 animals system and we are taught the techniques behind each movement in each animal form we do. Those animal techniques are also expanded upon outside the forms, and additional animal techniques for which we do not do a form for are minimally taught at times. But though each animal would be it's own complete system, we are not taught the complete system for each animal, rather we learn components of animal techniques, combining them for usefulness in a situation.

Xue Sheng - We do use snake techniques and there is a snake form though we are not taught the total form at my level, instead snake techniques are incorporated into a combination form.

The animal forms we do at my level are relatively basic. The others are not taught until after black because of the advanced level of techniques involved in the forms.
 
I should probably add that the snake from in Xingyi is one form that is connected to the other 11 animal forms.

Similar to the 5 elements cascade form.

Sil Lum TigerLady - it sounds as if you get more extensive training in an animal form.

Also I am a beginner at Xingyi again, I have just started training it again after a multi-year hiatus and I could be forgetting something.
 
AceHBK said:
Interesting.
I had always wanted to learn snake for some odd reason but someone told me that it was just a form and had some practical uses but not a system in itself. Is that true?

I have a vague notion that there is a Snake system, but more than that I cannot say.
 
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